Kuran Kaname grinned, a small gem, its bright aura tinting the pitch-black room with a faint red, sitting on the chess board before him.
"I never thought I would be in possession of such an artifact," he muttered. "But now, it's mine. The Crimson Jewel, the mythical gem that grants untold power to its user, is mine." He lifted the gem with a gloved hand, careful not to come into contact with it - after all, the conditions had to be perfect or he might fall victim to the corrupting influence of the Jewel. He knew that if things got out of hand, he could simply release it, and it would become harmless once more. The gem seemed to be getting brighter and hotter, as if in anticipation of what was about to happen. It seemed on the verge of eruption into a crimson blaze.
In a series of deft movements, Kuran Kaname tossed the now-flaming gem into the air, threw his glove off, and clasped the gem in his hands as it fell. The room immediately returned to its original, pitch-black state as his hands blocked all light from escaping. Soon, however, the light from the gem started to leak through the thinner folds of skin in his hand. His brow furrowed, and the Jewel returned to its earlier brightness. He had established control of the Jewel. His lips curled upwards in a triumphant gesture, resting there for a moment before opening wide in shock.
The Jewel was glowing brighter than ever before, his enclosing hands not masking the aura in the slightest. The whole room was bathed in a magnificent red light. He felt a searing pain in the palm of his right hand, most likely due to the heat of the gem, and frowned profusely, attempting to regain control of the Jewel. Its light dimmed for but a moment, and then it flared even more intensely. Kaname realized that he had attempted to control something far stronger than himself - it was now trying to control him.
He executed his last resort, unclasping his hands to let the gem fall to the floor. To his surprise, though, it did not fall; it had merged with the palm of his right hand. He frantically tried to pull it out, but it only burrowed deeper.
If he had been able to speak, he would have screamed as loud as possible in a desperate, irrational hope that someone, anyone could control the power before it managed to control him.
But alas! he could not say a word, for his vocal cords had already morphed into a new, unfamiliar form. He felt his spine lengthening and his ribcage tightening. He felt a ripping sensation near his shoulder blades, and two appendages erupted behind him; he moaned in pain through his new vocal cords. In a final moment of lucidity, he noticed that it had started to rain. Senses dimmed, his eyes slowly closed, and his body crumpled to the floor.
Kuran Kaname was no more. In his place was a mindless husk, a slave of the Crimson Jewel, another victim unable to control its corrupting power.
And this slave had work to do.
A disheveled form rose, slowly and unevenly, from the floor. Lightning flashed, illuminating the room with a blinding white, revealing a tall, thin creature with large, leathery wings. It hobbled awkwardly toward the window. As it got closer, it began to exude a crimson light very similar to the glow of the gem that a pure-blood vampire had struggled and failed to control just moments earlier. The creature, now glowing brightly, arrived at the window, and it very slowly lifted its right hand. One crimson finger extended, and the tip of its nail brushed the window. "Banish," croaked the creature. For a split second, all was silent.
The entire side of the building disappeared. The rest of the building, lacking sufficient support, began to crumble into its foundations. The creature flew into the night, its owner relishing the feeling of freedom.